Photo print production at Cewe: ISAG ensures efficient cutting/packaging processes

Optimizing the process from start to finish
Anna Nordhausen is head of production in the photofinishing department, which, as she explains, “includes everything that happens on paper.” So her area of work also includes photo books on photo paper or calendars, areas in which Cewe not only redefined the market with the first photo books in 2003, but above all the way people experience and view their photos. However, during our visit to the Oldenburg site, which is the heart of the company founded in 1961 with around 1,200 employees, these photo products tend to take second place. Most recently, Anna Nordhausen and her colleague, Project Manager for Operational Excellence Imke Banemann, had been working on a project to make the process of the last few meters of the photo print from the exposed roll into the mailing bag as efficient as possible. Cewe commissioned the Swiss mechanical engineering specialist ISAG for this solution. Imaging Solutions AG specializes in modular, automated systems for the finishing of photo products and develops tailor-made solutions ranging from cutting and sorting to packaging and labelling. The machines ensure maximum efficiency and precision, especially for high volumes and complex orders. Gregor Kohle (CMO, Head of Sales and Marketing) cannot immediately say how many Imaging Solutions AG machine systems are in use at Cewe. But in principle, there is no location or subsidiary of the company, which employs 4,000 people across Europe, where an ISAG machine is not in use. “The really great thing about working with Cewe,” says Gregor Kohle, “is that we have time to implement ideas.” - “When the machines are running in three shifts during the Christmas period, which is the most important time of the year for our industry,” explains Anna Nordhausen, “we can't afford to stand still!” Imke Banemann agrees that it is therefore important to eliminate errors in advance and, if necessary, invest more time in development than having to call the technician during the production phase.

Seamlessly integrated into the workflow
With the FastCut in stand-alone version, ISAG has developed a proven cutting system for photo paper rolls, while the FastCut & Pack, a modular extension of the stand-alone version, automatically packs the finished photos into photo pockets after cutting. Whenever the photos are placed on the storage table, for example, air is blown between the photos in order to align the entire stack neatly and precisely for insertion into the open photo pocket.

These are the small details that have to function perfectly in order to guarantee the big picture, the production flow. Such systems are not fundamentally new, but Cewe's requirements, as Gregor Kohle explains, made sporting demands on the processing speed: "The result today is a machine that can pack up to 500 envelopes with 50 photos each or 350 envelopes with 80 photos each per hour. In an eight-hour shift, at 50 images per envelope, this would be 4,000 envelopes with a maximum of 200,000 photos! The machine handles all process steps from unrolling the photo paper roll to smoothing and cutting the photos to the desired format. The photos are then automatically stacked, packed in photo pockets and sealed. An integrated printer applies ID labels to the pockets, which enable precise job allocation. This only works because a workflow in the background handles a vast amount of data records that logs every photo job. The logistics are huge, which means that Imaging Solutions had to seamlessly integrate its system into this workflow and the software behind it. As an option, the finished photo pockets could also be sorted and stacked automatically.

“The maximum cutting speed,” says Imke Banemann, “is up to ten images per second, which, in conjunction with automated packaging and labeling, ensures a continuous production flow.” Technically, the FastCut & Pack works with roll widths of 89 to 127 millimetres and image lengths of 89 to 225 millimetres, with paper thicknesses between 0.20 and 0.30 millimetres. The machine processes both classic photo paper and digital printing paper. The modular system can be equipped with either a single or quadruple unwinder. The quadruple version has an automatic splicing station that allows rolls to be changed without interrupting the production process. The modular design allows individual components to be configured according to production requirements.

Two of these systems were installed in Oldenburg, the first in 2024 and the second a few weeks ago in April. One goal for the future in Oldenburg is to optimize the operation of both machines so that they can be operated by just one person. This is not yet possible. Imke Banemann praises the expected reliability. And if an error occurs, for example if a bag slips out of place, the system stops immediately so that incorrect sorting, for example, is ruled out.